Flickering Shadows
by StarryFaith
Summary: “Please Lily. Hide, run. Anything. Please,” he pleaded. "Sorry James." Footsteps echoed, closer now. They both tensed, wands ready. Somehow this wasn't how Lily imagined their first date. Original, typical James and Lily.
1. Preface

"Evans," James whispered fiercely, "Leave, now

"Evans," James whispered fiercely, "Leave, now." James Potter didn't relax the grip on his wand, or his intense stare down the dark hallway trying to decipher movement.

Lily, just as tensed as James, didn't move. "Lily, please," James whispered, strained with emotion. "It's me that they want." His eyes didn't wander, but stared straight ahead.

There wasn't time to ponder this new side of Potter. "Potte- James. You're not getting rid of me. I'm here with you. Deal with it."

"That's not too hard to deal with. You and me…" James smiled slightly, but Lily could tell he was thinking about the Death Eaters that could possibly be, at this very minute, around the corner. And, well, rightly so.

Footsteps rebounded sinisterly off of the stone walls, and wand light flickered at the end of the hallway, coming closer. James turned, hazel eyes bearing into hers. "Please Lily. Hide, run. Anything. Please," he pleaded.

Lily looked up at him, wondering whether this James Potter had been their all along, or if it was a long lost twin. Captivated, she couldn't doubt his sincerity. "Sorry, James."

Swiftly moving shadows fluttered across the corner. They both tensed wands ready.

Somehow this wasn't what Lily had imagined for their first date.


	2. Talking and Changing

Chapter One

_Please don't hate me after this. My last chapter was so short because it was a preface. Or prologue if you like that one better, but it's technically a preface. And since a preface is an excerpt of the story, you have to keep reading to find out how they got there. I'm really sorry if that confused anyone. When writing this chapter I kept reading it over and over again to try and make sure it didn't disappoint you all. The problem being, is that the preface is an example of what I'm really really good at writing. This chapter, humour, happy people, is not something I consider myself good at. Yeah. Tell me what you think. So good new, you can expect longer chapters, bad news, the story is starting at the beginning._

* * *

Chapter One

Lily Evans hurried into the throng of people crowding the stairway, murmuring apologies as she elbowed past. "Evans! Hey Evans, wait up!" bellowed a voice, which was unfortunately too familiar. Normally she didn't have any problems with talking to people she liked. Unfortunately, James Potter was _not_ someone she liked. Actually, he border lined on someone she really really didn't like.

Much to her annoyance, students seemed to be moving at an even _slower _pace then before, wanting to watch the whole procession. In fact, they even appeared to be amused. Perhaps if this happened to them every single day, they wouldn't be so amused, Lily thought, as she rammed past a particularly large 5th year. Lily had never enjoyed the spotlight, especially when it usually turned on her by the accord of James Potter.

"Evans wait, I need to ask you something!" James shouted, chasing after her. The crowd of students moved aside for _him. _Lily mentally groaned. Great, so he was going to ask her out again. He had a good record going, about six months without asking her on a date. He had even lasted these first 2 weeks of their 7th year. She had finally thought that he had changed, albeit a little, a might have had a chance to live up to the head boyship he had lucked his way into. Apparently not. "Finally, Evans, I need to talk to you about someth-"

"What!" Lily whirled, her bag swinging dangerously, and glared back at him. "Can you just get it over with so I can say no, and go back to what I was doing before you butt into my life?" Normally Lily didn't condone this behaviour in herself, particularly after receiving Head Girl, but Potter was a special case.

James ran his hand through his hair, completing the I-just-got-off-my-broomstick look. "Why do you hate me so much?" He said quietly, ruining her angry moment. It almost made Lily feel slightly guilty, except that she remembered exactly why she didn't like Potter so much. And the fact that he had just run his hand through his hair _again_.

"I don't, hate you, per say," Lily said, looking past him, before saying bluntly, "I just think that you're a conceited prick."

"I haven't asked you out since last year."

"True." Lily remembered that last time. It had been different. He had asked her quietly, which was new for James. And he had actually seemed to mean it. Of course, she had said no. After all, Lily certainly could remember every single time he had asked her to Hogsmeade in the middle of a crowded area at a loudness of 100 decibels.

"I haven't hexed people lately," James continued.

"Snape. Avery. Mulciber," Lily retorted.

"Self-defence."

"Jake Simmons."

"That was, uh, self defence too." Lily snorted derisively. "_Also_, I have been over all quite decent this term already."

Lily said sarcastically, "Yeah all, what, two weeks of it."

James ignored her. "Anyway, my point, Evans, is that I _am_ trying. I mean, I am head boy after all." He scrutinized Lily for a second, perhaps to gage her reaction before continuing into what was probably a well rehearsed speech. "I know you don't think I should've got Head Boy and all, but I am and well, we have to work together. I was just wondering when you wanted to have our next meeting." He said this all very fast.

Lily felt the heat rising to her cheeks. "So, you weren't asking me out?"

James ran his hand through his hair again, gaining composure. "No, but I mean if you were going to say yes, then don't let that stop you." He grinned, slowly regaining a recognizable bit of the James Potter that Lily knew.

"Uh, no," Lily said, then added belatedly. "Thanks." If James was trying to be decent, she could at least be decent back. He was right after all; they did have to work together.

"That's what I thought," James smiled slightly, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. They were both silent for a minute. A long minute, until something crashed near James's ear.

Peeves bounced along the stairs, singing a rhyme of his making.

"_Teachers are teaching_

_Class has begun_

_But these stupid students are still having fun!"_

Lily muttered, "Not one of Peeves better ones is it?" It wasn't until then that she looked around and realised that all the students were gone.

James snapped out of his reverie and laughed. "So meeting in the common room at 8?"

"Sure," Lily said, still surprised at her seemingly civil conversation with Potter.

James winked, "Great. So…, we better get going. See you there."

"Right, so, later," said Lily, fiddling with the end of her robe. She began to leave, already quite late for Arithmancy.

"Later," replied James quietly. He watched Lily walk away, thinking.

Eventually, when James realized that he was at least 15 minutes late, and getting later, he decided he better head to class. As he walked along the corridors, he barely took in any of it. The portraits that told him to hurry up, some more rudely then others, didn't even register. This was all probably due to the fact that he'd actually had a nice, normal, conversation with Lily; one that didn't involve him asking her out loudly, or Sirius cat calling in the background. It felt really good.

Still, when he had first tried to talk to Lily, she had jumped to conclusions. After all he had tried to do for her; she still thought he was an arrogant toe rag. He was really trying. After all, it was his last year at Hogwarts, his last chance to prove to Lily that he was more then the Quidditch captain with the record for the second most detentions. He was going to try even harder. In fact, from now on, he wasn't going to hex anybody. And, he'd stop listening to Sirius. Maybe then, Lily would realise how serious James Potter could be.

"Ouch!" yelled James suddenly, grabbing his nose.

"GOT YOUR CONK!" shouted Peeves, who had reappeared above him and was clutching his belly and laughing. James swore loudly.

"Get out of it, Peeves!"

Peeves, who was one of the last beings you would want to run into when late for class, whizzed in front of him and started pelting bits of chalk at James, and at a small sandy-haired boy that should've probably been in class.

James waited until the small boy was well out of earshot of before turning to Peeves and yelling, "I am a Head Boy, and if you throw another, anything at me, I'll send it where you-"

"Potter!" James jumped. McGonagall glared sternly out of her classroom from behind her square spectacles. "Is that you making that racket? I'm trying to teach in here!" Peeves blew waspishly at James, and continued zooming down the corridor.

"Er, sorry Professor." James looked past McGonagall's head, and saw a group of second years at their desk, giggling profusely. "I was just heading to class now."

Professor McGonagall raised her eyebrows at him, "Best get going then, Potter." McGonagall turned back to her class and shut the door behind her with a sharp bang. James stared at the closed door for a second before continuing down the hallway.

00000

James Potter opened the trap door quietly, and peered inside the Divination room. He could see a whole lot of dirty carpet, some feet, and some table legs. Nothing but the normal chatter of non-divination related topics could be heard. He lifted it opened, cautiously stood up. Professor Whitning had her back turned, sorting tea leaves. He shuffled quickly to his and Sirius's table.

"Where have _you_ been?" asked Sirius, his gray eyes waggling suggestively. Sirius Black was James's best friend. Adopted brother might even be more accurate, with the way he and James were inseparable.

"Nothing that you'd be doing." _I wish. _James lowered his voice, "but I did make some important Lily improvements."

Sirius grinned conspiratorially, which must have caught Professor Whitning's attention, because she immediately walked over. The pair of them immediately bent down to look at the textbook. It occurred to James that he had no idea what they were studying.

Whitning slammed a hand on the maroon table cloth. "Boys, may I see your energy readings?" Sirius shot James a look, and ruffled through a stack of paper. Professor Whitning seemed as though she was in a particularly bad mood. Her brow was furrowed, and her thin lips were frowned. Quite old to still be teaching, even in wizarding standards, Whitning reminded James as a dried leaf. She had wispy gray hair, creased skin, a scatter brained tendencies. It was the latter that made her one of Sirius's and James's favourite teachers, due to the fact that it was quite easy to convince her that they had already handed in their homework early, and she must have forgotten.

Sirius kicked James under the table, as he continued to look for a most likely non-existent paper. "Er, Professor," James began. "I was, uh, doing head duties and I didn't have time-"

CRASH. The tinkle of breaking glass cut James off. As she rushed over to the mess of broken teapots, Professor Whitning cried frantically about unbalanced energy.

"That was the most pathetic excuse ever," snorted Sirius as soon as the Professor left. "Head duties. Jeez."

"It was _you_ who caused the teapots to explode?" James cried indignant.

"It got us out of detention didn't it? Although, we'll still probably have to do the homework in case she checks…"

"You didn't have to _break_ things did you?"

Sirius rolled his eyes. "You sound like Moony. Shiny new Head badge going to your head?"

"Fine, you win." said James staring at the broken mess of china. "It was just something Lily said, you know, me being an egotistical prat and all that." James continued to tell Sirius about exactly why he was so late for Divination. "And so from now on I'm not going to hex anyone. Or anything. Or do any activity that could offend her."

Sirius looked at him incredulously. "You are _so_ whipped." James picked up the entire copy of _Energy and You _by _L. Schneider_, and threw it at Sirius. Hard.

"YOU AND YOU! DETENTION!" screeched Professor Whitning, pointing her finger, and looking positively alarming behind her crystal ball with her eyes magnified twice their normal size.

"What has gotten into her today?" asked Sirius, perhaps a little too loudly.

"OUT! OUT! THE PAIR OF YOU! GET OUT!" she shrieked brandishing some type of fortune telling instrument at them. James and Sirius jumped up immediately, not quite sure exactly _what_ the tool did, and hopped down the trapdoor. They could here Whitning muttering about violent energies, before she slammed the door behind them.

"Good job, Padfoot," James said sarcastically.

"Hey, you're the one who lobbed the textbook at me," said Sirius, rubbing his head. "But now that you mention it, we do have some free time on our hands before dinner…"

"Let's do homework. I have Quidditch practice today and a meeting with Lily-"

"It's always, Lily, Lily, Lily." Sirius bantered. "Don't you think you've done enough for her? We haven't had a proper duel with Snape since last year." Sirius stopped where they were going, looked at James, and said slowly. "You've changed for her; you've done everything you can do. Don't you think it's time to move on, James?"

James looked down, "I-I don't think I can."

Sirius, to his credit didn't laugh. It was probably something in the way James said it that made him realize that James was serious. So Sirius did the next best thing, he made into a joke so he _could_ laugh.

"So, can I be your best man?" asked Sirius with a straight face.

"Uh, sure…"

"And then if you know, Lily never does like you we can always drug her or something right? No harm no foul." Sirius looked at James's scandalized face, and burst out laughing. He also took a few steps away from James in case he decided to inflict bodily harm.

"You are like, the _least_ helpful person I know," said James. He jumped at Sirius, ignoring the Portraits appalled comments, but Sirius expected it and ran, with James not far behind.

Needless to say, the two did not do homework.

_Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize._

_And a huge thank you to Harry Potter Lexicon, so that I didn't have to consult the books every time I needed to know something. For example, I found out that professor Trelawney didn't come to Hogwarts until the year after the Marauders and Co. left._

_And once I again I'm so sorry if this disappointed anyone. Just keep reading I guess. And I'll try to get better at writing humour and happy people. Thankss._


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